Don’t waste your chance to have a say

Ken Duncan

Aberdeenshire Council wants to hear from North-east folk about a package of proposed changes for the authority’s recycling and waste services.

Proposals include reducing the amount of non-recyclable waste collected at the kerbside, improving the network of recycling centres, collecting paper and card separately at the kerbside, increasing the number of seasonal garden waste recycling points and better information on how to recycle.

If approved by councillors, changes to kerbside services in Aberdeenshire are not expected to be introduced until 2020-21. The consultation runs until September 28 at http://bit.ly/AshireWasteConsult

Two options to change kerbside waste collections are being proposed as part of the revamped collection system and residents are now being encouraged to share their views on the plans.

Sending biodegradable waste to landfill will be banned from 2021. This includes non-recyclable household waste currently land-filled, so an alternative has to be found.

The council is working together with Aberdeen City and Moray councils to create a joint Energy-from-Waste plant to handle all of the waste.

As part of the proposals to improve the kerbside service, residents would get an extra recycling bin and a smaller bin for non-recyclable waste to maximise recycling at home and to align the service with the type of waste households actually produce.

One of the options also involves collecting non-recyclable waste every three weeks.

Residents would also be asked to start separating paper and card from metals, cartons and plastics.

Peter Argyle, chair of the council’s infrastructure services committee, said that the time had come to make physical changes to the way the council deals with waste.

“We need to find the best approach as a community to deal with this issue, which will become ever more pressing in years to come,” he said.

Committee vice-chair Cllr John Cox, added: “A lot of thought has gone into the draft strategy to try and make sure we have the right infrastructure in place to maximise recycling without costing the taxpayer any more money.

“Aberdeenshire’s recycling rate in recent years has clearly plateaued, despite the introduction of new services making it even easier to do, so clearly we need to do more to make the most of the waste we produce.”